A tour update from Umphrey’s McGee

Our summer tour with STS9 is in full swing and it has been rockin’. With what was our biggest home-town Chicago show yet in the rear view mirror, we’re setting our sites on the East Coast, starting with New York. We’ll be hitting the Roseland Ballroom for the first time tomorrow night, Thursday July 24th.

The tour is at full throttles so please come see us in the next two weeks as these have been some of the best shows we’ve played. The STS9 team has been a pleasure to work with, and we thank all the STS9 fans and family for making this tour so much fun to do.

After the summer run with STS9 is complete, we’ll be making a stop at Gathering of the Vibes on Sunday August 3rd, and the newest Umphrey’s McGee side project the North Indiana All Stars will be making a visit to Clear Lake, Iowa for the Better than a Dream Festival – the show will be at the legendary Surf Ballroom on Monday August 4th. Check out www.betterthanadream.com for more details. On Saturday August 8th, we’ll be closing the main stage at the Up North Festival in Hiram, Maine – the first Umphrey’s McGee visit to the state of Maine!

The end of August will bring us back to the Rockies for a show at Red Rocks with Gov’t Mule on Sunday August 31st, and the North Indiana All Stars will be performing a late night at Cervantes’ on Sunday night. We will then head to Boulder for a rare acoustic show at the Fox Theatre on Labor Day – Monday September 1st.

With a little time at home to keep working on the album, the bus will be grabbing us before we know it and head to Texas for two shows; Thursday September 11th in Austin at Stubb’s and Friday September 12th in Dallas at the Granada. On Saturday September 13th we’ll be closing the Mulberry Mountain Harvest Festival in Ozark, Arkansas.

We are pleased to announce the first installment of summer/fall tour dates. We’ll be doing some shows around the Midwest, starting with our 3rd annual show in South Bend on the Friday before the first Notre Dame home opener at the beautiful St. Pat’s Park – this year on Friday September 5th. On Thursday October 2nd we’ll be returning to the State Theatre in Kalamazoo, Michigan for the first time in years. On Friday October 3rd we’ll make our debut at the Emens Auditorium in Muncie, Indiana, and on Saturday October 4th we’ll be playing at the beautiful CEFCU Center Stage at The Landing on the riverfront in Peor ia for the Peoria Rib Fest and Chili Cook Off. Pre-sale for most of these shows has started at UMTicketing, so be sure to get your tickets early.

Stay tuned for more information about pre-sale dates for a West Coast tour that will bring us to San Francisco for Halloween night and a special intimate show on November 1st, as well as information on this year’s New Year’s Eve extravaganza in Chicago. So much news coming your way, its hard not to tell you all at once!

Ryan, Kris and Joel will combine forces with Dan Lebowitz (ALO) and Jamie Shields (the New Deal) aboard Jam Cruise 7. From ’76 – ’84, FM radio was dominated by smooth music. With a fleet of #1 hits, the music known as yacht rock drove women crazy. The pandemonium prompted J.D. Ryznar to create the famed internet hit series known as Yacht Rock. What you are about to witness is the musical reincarnation of this momentous phenomenon. Introducing: Dan Lebowitz, Jamie Shields and Ryan Stasik, Kris Myers and Joel Cummins of Umphrey’s McGee. If you want to be witness to this and have the time of your life on the open seas with over 25 awesome bands, book your cabin today! There are less than 30 cabins left so don’t delay!

Also, there is still a chance for you to get in on the vacation of a lifetime! We know you have been waiting patiently for rooms to open up for Caribbean Holidaze 2008 and here’s your chance! A very limited amount of rooms will be released to the waiting list Wednesday the 23rd at 12:00 pm EST. Then this, if there are any left – and we can’t guarantee there will be – you can snatch one up at www.CaribbeanHolidaze.com.

Monday, the 28th at 12:00 pm EST

In case you haven’t gotten the memo: Caribbean Holidaze takes place at two of Jamaica’s most exclusive resorts: Hedonism III and Breezes Runaway Bay. Both Resorts are Super-Inclusive – just about everything you can eat, drink and do is included in your vacation price. Join us for four exciting nights of music with The Disco Biscuits and Umphrey’s McGee. Our special guests include a sunset set on the beach with Toots & the Mayt als and the return of The Brain Damaged Eggmen! With the help of other great artists like Toubab Krewe, Mad Professor, and Telepath this will be an experience you’ll never forget!

One more UM factoid – Jake Cinninger did some recording on the new Gongzilla album Five Even. Along with Jake, the new studio record includes guitarists Chuck Garvey (moe.) plus fretless guitarist David "Fuze" Fiuczynski (Screaming Headless Torsos) and bassist Kai Eckhardt (Garaj Mahal). Check out the release to see what our Jake had to contribute.

We hope to see you all in the coming weeks and make sure to check The Floor – the Umphrey’s Blog that serves up the latest and greatest stories, photos, videos, and other nuggets from the present and the past.